European airport trade body ACI Europe has released its traffic report for April 2026, revealing that passenger traffic across the European airport network fell by 0.7% compared to the same month last year.
While the decline was marginal, it marks a significant milestone as the first year-over-year drop in passenger traffic since Europe’s air transport recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic began in April 2021.
April’s performance reflected a combination of factors, including the conflict in the Middle East, which particularly impacted the non-EU+ market, the partial shift of Easter holiday travel into March this year, and industrial action that heavily disrupted the German market.
EU+ Market Continues to Grow
Passenger traffic in the non-EU+ market contracted by 7.6%, while the EU+ market continued to expand, posting growth of 0.6%. Airports within the European Union alone recorded a 1.4% increase.
Within the non-EU+ market, airports in Israel experienced a dramatic 73.4% decline in passenger traffic. Major market Türkiye also saw volumes decrease by 5.1%, while Georgia fell 16.3% and Azerbaijan dropped 12.9%, reflecting their exposure to developments in the Middle East.
By contrast, several smaller markets continued to perform strongly. Airports in North Macedonia posted growth of 30.6%, Albania rose 25.3%, and Moldova increased 24.6%.
Among the largest EU+ markets, Spain delivered the strongest results with passenger traffic up 3.7%, followed by Italy at 2.2%. Airports in Germany (-8.5%), the UK (-2.1%), and France (-0.9%) all recorded declines.
The strongest EU+ performances came from Slovakia (+125.2%), Slovenia (+14.6%), Malta (+13.5%), Estonia (+12.1%), and Poland (+8.3%).
At the other end of the scale, airports in Cyprus (-16.1%) and Iceland (-11.7%) recorded the sharpest declines, followed by Austria (-7.4%) and Switzerland (-6.1%).
Concerns Over Border Controls
ACI EUROPE Director General Olivier Jankovec said April represented a clear inflection point for European air traffic.
“While we were already seeing a normalization of passenger traffic growth after the strong post-pandemic bounce back, geopolitical instability—most notably the war in the Middle East—is now further weighing on growth and exposing significant differences in performance across markets,” he said.
Jankovec added that demand remains generally strong, airline capacity adjustments have been limited, and concerns over potential jet fuel shortages have eased.
However, he warned that border control procedures linked to the Schengen Entry/Exit System are creating severe disruption for travelers.
“Unless authorities are allowed to introduce greater flexibility, including fully suspending the system where operationally necessary, disruptions for passengers will intensify over the coming weeks and months,” he stated.
Spanish and Dutch Hubs Show Resilience
Among Europe’s major airports, Barcelona (+4.1%), Madrid (+3.3%), and Amsterdam Schiphol (+2.7%) were the only hubs to record passenger growth during April.
Munich (-16.4%) and Frankfurt (-11%) experienced the steepest declines, largely due to seven days of industrial action during the month.
Passenger traffic also fell at Istanbul Airport (-6.8%), Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (-3.4%), London Gatwick (-8.8%), and London Heathrow (-5.3%). Meanwhile, Rome Fiumicino (-0.6%) and Paris Charles de Gaulle remained essentially flat.
Medium and Small Airports Outperform
Overall, Europe’s largest airports were most affected by the Middle East conflict. Major airports saw traffic decline by 3.5%, while Mega airports fell 1% and Large airports recorded marginal growth of just 0.1%.
In contrast, Medium airports grew 2.1% and Small airports increased 5.5%. Their predominantly intra-European route networks helped insulate them from long-haul market disruptions, while low-cost carriers maintained capacity and some travelers shifted from long-haul to short- and medium-haul destinations.
Despite this growth, Small airports continue to lag significantly behind pre-pandemic levels, with passenger traffic still 27.7% below 2019 volumes, highlighting ongoing structural challenges and concerns over long-term financial viability.
